E.T. Atari 2600 Is Not The Worst Game Ever, How To Play, & High Score Documentary

[socrates63]

46 minutes ago, RickR said:

Many of my high school and college papers/essays were done with "Atariwriter"!  I think I finally got a PC (it was a 286) around 88.  I still have my original boxed 2600, VIC-20, and 800XL and they are probably my most prized part of my collections. 

Atariwriter! Yes, I used that quite a bit. I remember the very first time I was introduced to this thing called a “word processor” in middle school. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept. I believe it was Bank Street Writer. 
 

The first PC I used was a 286 in the late 80s. My own first PC was the 386/33 by Northgate right when the 486 was released. 

I am extremely jealous that you kept your original hardware. 👍👏

[Atari 5200 Guy]

1 hour ago, Justin said:

One day people will feel at ease discussing the outright sabotage that went on in dark rooms at Atari. Too many people with agendas. It's been long enough.

Something wicked this way comes.  I hope to hear some of those stories someday.

You know there's another aspect to game consoles that might have been overkill and hurt them in those early days...computer add-ons.  Think about it.  Why would someone want to buy a computer keyboard attachment for a game console to turn it into a computer that's going to have the same limited abilities as the system they are designed to work with when a computer with better capabilities could be bought instead?  I think every console under the sun at that point was trying to also be a computer.  The 2600, 7800, INTV, ColecoVision...all tried to do the console/computer hybrid thing.  Maybe that scared a bunch of people off from game consoles.  Just a theory.

[HDN]

8 hours ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

Something wicked this way comes.  I hope to hear some of those stories someday.

You know there's another aspect to game consoles that might have been overkill and hurt them in those early days...computer add-ons.  Think about it.  Why would someone want to buy a computer keyboard attachment for a game console to turn it into a computer that's going to have the same limited abilities as the system they are designed to work with when a computer with better capabilities could be bought instead?  I think every console under the sun at that point was trying to also be a computer.  The 2600, 7800, INTV, ColecoVision...all tried to do the console/computer hybrid thing.  Maybe that scared a bunch of people off from game consoles.  Just a theory.

I think you're on to something here. I mean, the ADAM basically killed Coleco.

[RickR]

2 minutes ago, HDN said:

I think you're on to something here. I mean, the ADAM basically killed Coleco.

Yep, and the computer add-on killed Intellivision too.  Mattel got slapped with a $15,000 PER DAY fine until they released a computer module after one buyer filed a lawsuit (the promise of the ECS was on his Intellivision box).  So in addition to paying that fine for several years, they had to scramble and divert resources to developing and releasing that useless module. 

In the end, the "computer add-ons" were all complete wastes of time and resources.  It was always more economical to buy a computer that was designed as a computer. 

[nosweargamer]

10 hours ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

Something wicked this way comes.  I hope to hear some of those stories someday.

You know there's another aspect to game consoles that might have been overkill and hurt them in those early days...computer add-ons.  Think about it.  Why would someone want to buy a computer keyboard attachment for a game console to turn it into a computer that's going to have the same limited abilities as the system they are designed to work with when a computer with better capabilities could be bought instead?  I think every console under the sun at that point was trying to also be a computer.  The 2600, 7800, INTV, ColecoVision...all tried to do the console/computer hybrid thing.  Maybe that scared a bunch of people off from game consoles.  Just a theory.

 

1 hour ago, RickR said:

Yep, and the computer add-on killed Intellivision too.  Mattel got slapped with a $15,000 PER DAY fine until they released a computer module after one buyer filed a lawsuit (the promise of the ECS was on his Intellivision box).  So in addition to paying that fine for several years, they had to scramble and divert resources to developing and releasing that useless module. 

In the end, the "computer add-ons" were all complete wastes of time and resources.  It was always more economical to buy a computer that was designed as a computer. 

 

I'll throw this into the discussion: almost all add-ons fail or lose money for their companies.

Personally, I like add-ons. For instance, I'm a big fan of the Power Base Converter & Intellivoice. But it seems the average consumer doesn't want to deal with them. The Intellivoice was a disappointment to Mattel along with the ECS. They may have contributed to the Intellivision downfall. The 32X was a bust for Sega. Nintendo had to give away Expansion Paks for the N64. None of the 3rd party add-ons for the 2600 seemed to do well either. 

I owned and still like the Sega CD. It may have been the most successful add-on of it's time, but it didn't even reach 10% of Genesis users.

Maybe that's why we don't really see many add-ons anymore.

[RickR]

2 minutes ago, nosweargamer said:

I'll throw this into the discussion: almost all add-ons fail or lose money for their companies.

Personally, I like add-ons. For instance, I'm a big fan of the Power Base Converter & Intellivoice. But it seems the average consumer doesn't want to deal with them. The Intellivoice was a disappointment to Mattel along with the ECS. They may have contributed to the Intellivision downfall. The 32X was a bust for Sega. Nintendo had to give away Expansion Paks for the N64. None of the 3rd party add-ons for the 2600 seemed to do well either. 

I owned and still like the Sega CD. It may have been the most successful add-on of it's time, but it didn't even reach 10% of Genesis users.

Maybe that's why we don't really see many add-ons anymore.

Good point.  And do the expansions hurt future sales too?  For example, if you bought a 32x, would that impact your decision to purchase a Saturn?

PS - I LOVE the old voice add-ons for Intellivision (B-17 Bohomber), Odyssey 2 (Time Lord!) and TI 99-4A (Demon Attack!)  But they weren't very well supported due to terrible sales. 

[HDN]

2 minutes ago, RickR said:

Odyssey 2 (Time Lord!)

Deef-heat iss at hant

 

[RickR]

1 minute ago, HDN said:

Deef-heat iss at hant

 

😅

I love that game.  The voice module completely changes it from something pretty standard to over-the-top fun.  You gotta play more to hear what that skull will say next!

[socrates63]

I saw some NSG videos that showed off the Intellivoice and was very impressed. It almost made me wish for an Intellivision but then remembered that controller with the disc pad.

Any thoughts on the Playstation VR? It seems to have been received well and sold decently enough that Sony is probably working on PSVR 2. The PS4 Pro was my entry into the PS4 world. The VR accessory was a compelling reason for me.

[HDN]

7 minutes ago, socrates63 said:

I saw some NSG videos that showed off the Intellivoice and was very impressed. It almost made me wish for an Intellivision but then remembered that controller with the disc pad.

Not sure how different it is but I like the controller for the Intellivision Flashback. Never played on a real Intellivision. 

9 minutes ago, socrates63 said:

Any thoughts on the Playstation VR? It seems to have been received well and sold decently enough that Sony is probably working on PSVR 2. The PS4 Pro was my entry into the PS4 world. The VR accessory was a compelling reason for me.

A lot of my PS4 owning friends have it, if that tells you anything. They seem to enjoy it. It looks to be doing decently.

[nosweargamer]

7 minutes ago, HDN said:

Not sure how different it is but I like the controller for the Intellivision Flashback. Never played on a real Intellivision. 

The Flashback controller is very similar with one main difference: the side buttons are softer. On the original Intellivision, those side buttons are hard and can kill your fingers. Unfortunately, even though the original plan was to make the Flashback controllers compatible with the original system, they aren't with some sort of adapter.

[HDN]

21 minutes ago, nosweargamer said:

Unfortunately, even though the original plan was to make the Flashback controllers compatible with the original system, they aren't with some sort of adapter.

I thought the controllers were hard-wired? Unless you're talking about the Intellivision II. I've heard that one uses hard plastic side buttons.

[RickR]

2 minutes ago, HDN said:

I thought the controllers were hard-wired? Unless you're talking about the Intellivision II. I've heard that one uses hard plastic side buttons.

The Sears version of the Intv has removable controllers just like the INTV2.  I have one and am using a Flashback controller with an adapter.  It is a little easier on the thumb.  . 

[HDN]

1 hour ago, RickR said:

The Sears version of the Intv has removable controllers just like the INTV2.  I have one and am using a Flashback controller with an adapter.  It is a little easier on the thumb.  . 

On a somewhat related note, why won't some games work on INTV system II?

[RickR]

41 minutes ago, HDN said:

On a somewhat related note, why won't some games work on INTV system II?

That's a great question.  I think Mattel updated the EXEC portion of the kernel to try to lock out unlicensed 3rd party developers.  But it's more a lesson on trying to get the genie back into the bottle.  You have to design those things in from the very beginning, not try to shoehorn them in later. 

[TrekMD]

It was intentionally made that way by Mattel to stop third-party developers from making games for the system.  You can read about it here:  Intellivision II Development History

[HDN]

Thanks, @RickR and @TrekMD! I have long wondered about this. It seems to be a rather pointless change; I mean you can already play this game on the original console, so why change it years later? What a stupid idea. It seems both the system 1 and 2 have their pros and cons. Do these games work with the later INTV corp system?

[RickR]

Yes they do work on the III.  

[Sabertooth]

11 hours ago, socrates63 said:

I saw some NSG videos that showed off the Intellivoice and was very impressed. It almost made me wish for an Intellivision but then remembered that controller with the disc pad.

Any thoughts on the Playstation VR? It seems to have been received well and sold decently enough that Sony is probably working on PSVR 2. The PS4 Pro was my entry into the PS4 world. The VR accessory was a compelling reason for me.

Love my PSVR.  It really opens up a new dimension of gaming when well implemented. 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

12 hours ago, nosweargamer said:

 

 

I'll throw this into the discussion: almost all add-ons fail or lose money for their companies.

Personally, I like add-ons. For instance, I'm a big fan of the Power Base Converter & Intellivoice. But it seems the average consumer doesn't want to deal with them. The Intellivoice was a disappointment to Mattel along with the ECS. They may have contributed to the Intellivision downfall. The 32X was a bust for Sega. Nintendo had to give away Expansion Paks for the N64. None of the 3rd party add-ons for the 2600 seemed to do well either. 

I owned and still like the Sega CD. It may have been the most successful add-on of it's time, but it didn't even reach 10% of Genesis users.

Maybe that's why we don't really see many add-ons anymore.

The 32x and Sega CD I really liked but I favored the CD more only because I had the six pack and Sol-Feace on it.  I loved Star Wars on the 32x though.  It was stunning to the senses.  But it seemed a bit harsh on my poor Model 1 Genny.  It liked the Sega CD better.  I just hated having to have power supplies for everything on that setup.

 

[TrekMD]

7 hours ago, HDN said:

Thanks, @RickR and @TrekMD! I have long wondered about this. It seems to be a rather pointless change; I mean you can already play this game on the original console, so why change it years later? What a stupid idea. It seems both the system 1 and 2 have their pros and cons. Do these games work with the later INTV corp system?

It became a non-issue as soon as third parties figured it out.  So, only a few games do not work with the Intellivision II.

[nosweargamer]

7 hours ago, HDN said:

Thanks, @RickR and @TrekMD! I have long wondered about this. It seems to be a rather pointless change; I mean you can already play this game on the original console, so why change it years later? What a stupid idea. It seems both the system 1 and 2 have their pros and cons. Do these games work with the later INTV corp system?

Pointless? It's clear it was done as a protective measure for their valued customers so they wouldn't have to experience the horror that is:

😲😆😅🤣😂

[HDN]

Played ET again today. Honestly not near as bad as I remembered.

[nosweargamer]

25 minutes ago, HDN said:

Played ET again today. Honestly not near as bad as I remembered.

Honestly, I never remember it being bad. Actually, it was one of my favorite 2600 games growing up.

It wasn't until many years later that I was 'enlightened' by the interwebs that it was THE WORST GAME EVER, and the single cause for the demise of Atari, the Y2K panic & the overblown budget of the motion picture, Waterworld*. Thank you interwebs! What would I done without you...

 

 

*Like 2600 E.T. , Waterworld has also gotten a worse rap than it deserves.

[socrates63]

3 hours ago, nosweargamer said:

*Like 2600 E.T. , Waterworld has also gotten a worse rap than it deserves.

Ah yes, Waterworld. Earlier this year, I bought the blu-ray release by Arrow that is supposed to have a longer and better cut... which I haven't watched yet 🙁 Have you seen it?